As a biochemist, I am interested in the molecular events that control cellular responses to external stimuli – the field of research is ‘signal transduction’, and it has applications in virtually any disease. The overall aim of our studies is to identify key enzymes and molecules that play functional roles in cell regulation, with the hope that these could be targeted therapeutically in disease states. Our studies can contribute to a better understanding of cellular growth and survival, with relevance to cancer, cardiovascular and many other diseases. Our model systems range from macrophages that respond to oxidized LDL to cytokine-dependent cells of the blood, and fibroblasts from tendon tissue.

Our body is made up of millions of cells that together form our organs and tissues. While every cell has a full complement of all the genes that make us humans, there are many differences among the cells; for example, a blood cell has very different activities compared to a muscle cell or a brain cell. Each of the cell types develops and then functions as it does as a result of the sub-set of genes that are active in that cell. Each of the genes makes a protein that has its own specific function. Our studies are elucidating how many of the signals that are received by cells, whether from hormones or growth factors, or from other factors in the cell’s surroundings, contribute to the cells’ overall survival and growth potential. In many cases, enzyme action transmits signals into cells in a complex network of responses based on many interactions among the proteins. It is the sum total of this network of interacting molecules that our research aims to understand. Each of the key signalling molecules may serve as a potential target for therapies that may correct mistakes that serve as the underlying cause of a disease.